Six and a half games. That's how large the Milwaukee Brewers' National League Central lead was on June 28.

That was before the tides turned. On June 29, with a loss to the Colorado Rockies, the Brewers began a freefall that saw their division lead twice dissolve - most recently after losing two out of three to the Washington Nationals this weekend.

The St. Louis Cardinals are now tied with the Brewers for the Central lead, with the Pittsburgh Pirates just 1 1/2 games back and the Reds 2 1/2 back.

St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati all made the playoffs last fall, and all were picked to finish ahead of the Brewers this year.

Now, losers of 13 of their last 16 games, the Brewers return home for three games against the Reds before traveling to St. Louis for another three-game set a week and a half later.

Things aren't as rosy for the Brewers as they were a month ago. But opportunity still remains.

"If you're going to tell us in spring training that we were going to be a game up in the first half, we would have taken it," veteran third baseman Aramis Ramirez said. "Nobody gave us a chance."

Catcher Jonathan Lucroy can't pinpoint exactly what's behind the stretch, but he noted that every team seems to have its ebbs and flows in the 162-game season.

"Sometimes things don't go your way in the game, and that was just a couple weeks where we just were battling out and things didn't roll the way that we wanted them too," Lucroy said. "But you know what, that's the way the game works, and whenever you're a better team, things tend to go your way more often."

Sunday, the Brewers were their own worst enemy, as a baserunning error and a missed cut-off man in the top and bottom of the ninth inning led to a walk-off loss to the Washington Nationals.

Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said afterward that his team needs to "quit making so many mistakes."

Roenicke, now in his fourth season, was there for the Brewers' last playoff run, when they were a wild card and reached the National League Championship Series.

Seven players remain from the team that lost in six games to the Cardinals.

That club had its own ups and downs, losing seven out of eight games in early July to fall from first place, two games up, to third place, two games back before regrouping to be in a tie for first at the All-Star break.

Regardless of experience, Milwaukee's confidence is an asset.

"We all know we have a special team," says center fielder Carlos Gomez, a member of the 2011 team. "And what we know, that makes it easier to be successful. Like I'm leadoff, I know my job is to be aggressive, get on base and show the other team if they don't make their adjustments every pitch, every inning, they going to lose that game.

"Because we have a really solid lineup, really solid rotation, the bullpen (has) been really good for us the whole year."

Ramirez has played in the NL Central his entire career. In 17 major league seasons, he's played in just 18 postseason games, on three occasions with the Cubs.

Now with his fourth Central division title dangling ahead, he said it's not going to take much for the Brewers to get things back together in the second half.

"We're in a pennant race," Ramirez said. "You don't need any more motivation than that. We're in first place, we got 60-plus games to go. We just got to bring our A-game every single day and try to win the game."

The Brewers certainly aren't surprised to find themselves fighting off their Midwest brethren. Lucroy acknowledged they're in one of the best divisions in baseball.

"We started this thing out this year, and we thought we were good," Roenicke said. "But we knew that those three teams are going to be good. And they're certainly starting to show that. And I do expect them to be good the rest of the year."

If Milwaukee can hold on and find its way into the playoffs this year, it will be the third playoff appearance for the team since 2008 and just the fifth playoff appearance in the franchise's 46-year history.

And winning the Central would be just the second division title for the Brewers, a fact not lost on them.

"It means everything," Gomez said about making the playoffs. "Because that's why we're here for. We're not here for just our individual numbers, we're here just to go to the playoffs, win the World Series. That's why every team has a team, because they want to win the World Series."

Epps reported from Washington

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July 31: The Rays traded LHP David Price to the Tigers in a three-team trade with the Mariners. The Mariners received OF Austin Jackson; the Rays got LHP Drew Smyly, INF Nick Franklin and minor league INF Willy Adames. Jesse Johnson, USA TODAY Sports